Whenever I put together any kind of presentation, be it a magic show, a talk or a theatrical piece, there is one rule I have followed over the years that has served me well. Your best bet with a presentation is to vacuum pack it. Eliminate the fluff. Suck the air out of it. Make [...]
I’ve always believed that the majority of improvements in our lives come from people who are not happy with the previous incarnation of whatever their invention happens to be. Let me put it more plainly: Someone looked at something and said, “I think it can be improved.” I know money can be a great motivator, [...]
Every now and then I make one of those ‘aha’ discoveries that are so obvious, that the only reason I didn’t make it sooner is that I must have been purposely avoiding it. In other words, I must not have wanted to discover it because it would probably mean a shift in the way I [...]
My wife and I like to play a game with TV commercials. We call it ‘Look Who’s Talking’, or ‘Name That Goon’ (They aren’t really goons, it’s just the best rhyme for ‘tune’ I could come up with). The object of the game is simple really. When a commercial airs, we try to see who [...]
Often in life, it can be the tiniest bit of extra effort that makes the difference. While I believe in putting everything you’ve got into an endeavor, it is surprising sometimes how a small thing can makes a huge difference. More than once in my life, that small thing has been the only difference. A [...]
Trying to get noticed in Hollywood isn’t easy, but if you can pull it off, the rewards can be fantastic. I have watched a few friends go from waiting tables one day, to having their former restaurant cater their celebrity parties. About 20 or so years ago, I was one of those guys trying to [...]
In part one of this article, we explored the three basic rules to apply if you were interested in writing a cliche TV commercial. Judging by the number of these I see on TV in any given day, I think it is fair to assume that quite of few advertisements are put together this way. [...]
Sitting through a recent Twilight Zone marathon, I learned a few things. First, it’s still one of the best shows that ever hit the airwaves. Second, after absorbing hundreds of commercials, I discovered that a great majority of them could be written by almost anyone who could follow a few basic tenets. I would say [...]
Free writing is a great exercise to unlock your creative side, and like any exercise you will get better at it over time. However, just like in physical fitness, your technique can always be tweaked here and there to help you get the most out of the exercise. So here are a few of my [...]
Here’s why free writing helps you tap into the creative side of your brain. When we write, we must resist the temptation to edit and proofread as we go along. If we edit and proofread as we create, we limit the amount of original content we can create. The editor and proofreader are the [...]